Draft-rigging.



l. H. MILLIKEN.

DRAFT HIGGINS.

Arme/mou mso was. lsu.

lutcnicd Nov. lf2, 1918.

WIE:

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UNTED STATES PATENT ISAAC H. MILLIKEN, OF ASPINWALL, PENNSYLVANIA,.ASSIGOR T0 IMCCONWAY c TORLEY COMPANY, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

DlAFT-RGGENG.

Patented Nev. 1a, 191s.

Application led August 8, 1917i Serial No. 185,043.

To all whom'z't may cof/wem.'

Be it known that l, ISAAC H. MILLIKEN, a citizen of the United States,residing Aspinwall, in the countypf Allegheny and Stateof Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft- Rigging, andI do hereby declare the foland exact description of the invention, suchas will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of draft rigging for railwaycars, and particularly to means for operatively connect- `in the stem ofthe car coupler to the draft yo e. The object of the invention is toprovide simple, strong and durable means constituting an efficient andreliable mode of attaching the coupler to the draft yoke so as to permiteasy assembly and disassembly of the connected parts. A further objectof the invention is to provide a construction of the character notedwhich is especially well adapted for use where the coupler is designedto perform an extended lateral swinging movement when the car to whichit is attached is passing around a curve.' These lobjects areaccomplished, generally stated, by providing the coupler with ashouldered rear end, and by fashioning the draft yoke with a hoodedforward end into which the rear end of he coupler may be inserted, theseparts being connected by a pair of transversely extending key memberswhich engage'the rear faces of the lateral walls of the hooded. portionof the yoke and also engage the corresponding shoulders at the rear endof the coupler, said shoulders of the coupler stem and the cooperatingportions of the key members being Ycorrespondingly curved if it isdesired to allow the coupler to have an extended swinging movement.

ln the drawings vkillustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention,the scope whereof is pointed outin the claims,

Figure l is a plan view of a draft rigging embodying the invention, theforward portion of the coupler and ythe cushioning atA units normallymounted within the yoke bein@ omitted.

`ig. 2 is a side elevation of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1l

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view, taken on the line 3 8, Fig. 2.

F ig. d is a transverse sectional view looking forwardly, taken on theline fif-4, Fig. 2;

In the drawings, l indicates a car coupler and lL is the draft yoke.Except for the' features of construction set forth in the claims thecoupler and draft yoke may be of` any desired form.

The rear end of the coupler is shouldered, being provided at its upperand lower sides with lugs or bosses 2 whose forward faces arepreferablyv undercut and curved concavely, as indicated at 3, to formpivot bearings that are respectively adapted to coperate with keymembers 4 having correspondingly curved and beveled proiections orbearings 5.

The forward ends of the arms 6 of the draft yoke Q are widened, as at 7,and are connected by oppositely disposed walls 8, thus giving to theforward end of the draft yoke a hooded or box-like forni. lf the coupleris designed to swing laterally, the space between the walls 8, 8 of theyoke is made sufficient to permit the desired extent of lateralswinging. The rear faces of the walls 8 of the hooded portion of thedraftV yoke `2` are preferably inclined or beveled adjacent therespective arms 6 of the yoke.

Theseinclined faces 9 are adapted to be engaged by correspondinglyinclined faces l0 on the key members d when the mechanism is subjectedto draft forces, the result being to offer resistance toA any tendencyof the arms 6 of the yoke to spread or separate at their forwardr ends.i

The key members d interposed between the oppositely extending pivot lugs2 of the coupler stem, and the rear faces of the oppositelydisposed-walls 8 of the hooded portion of the draft yoke are eachpreferably provided with a forwardly extending portion or tongue 1l thatpreferably fills the space between the walls 8, 8 of the yoke, the

. the cushioning unit and the rear end of the or" the hooded end of theyoke.

Y end, and means draft yoke. When the buling force ceases to act theparte return to normal position, closing up this space. .in thepreferred. embodiment o'my inventionv as heretofore de'- scribed theopen space or slack corre spending to the compression of the springs ofthe cushioning unit would bo distributed at several points, partloccurring between the coupler l and thekey members Ll, a littleoccurring between the keys and the hooded end of the draft yoke, andsome being between the rear end 18 of the yoke and the rear follower,thus preventing the full strain coming at one time on the mechanism whenthe parte return to normal position after a buil'ing operation. Thevertical height of the rear end of the coupler is preferablysubstantially equal to the distance between the interior faces of theyoke arms 6, the rear end of the coupler being supported by the yokerather than by resting upon the lower key member 1l. v'

.in assembling the draft rigging the rear end of the coupler l isinserted longitudinali into the hooded end ot the draft yoke 2 a d ispushed rearwardly far enough to Yallowi'cheVY keys e togen placed infront of the pivot lugs 2 of the coupler at the rear The coupler 'l isthen' drawn forwardly to normal position, thus causing the tongues l1 ofthe 'lshaped keys 4 to enter the space between the lateral walls S ofthe hooded end or' the draft yoke and bringing the inclined shoulders l0of the keys into engagement with the corresponding inclined portions ofthe rem' "aces ofthe walls 8 of the yoke. The spring unit (which may bethe Well known arrangement of springsand followers) is then forced intoposition between the arms 6 of the yoke to the rear of the coupler andthe assembled mechanism may then be applied to the underiraming of acarin the usual' mannen l claim: l. ln a disait' with a coupler baring ashouldered rear end., a draft yo? hai/'ir l )oiled forward o elyconnecting l2 of the coupler is adapt-` with rigging, the combinationvsaid coupler and yoke, said means involi'finga, air oftransverselyextending and longitu inally movable key members 'engagingthe rear faces of oppositely disposed walls of the said hooded portionof the draft yoke, the respective key members also engaging. thecorresponding shoulders at the rear ,end o t said coupler, and saidcoupler and yoke beingr relatively movable in boiling.

2. n a 'draft rigging, the. combination coupler provided with oppostelydisposed shoulders, of a yoke, and means :for operatively connectingsaid coupler and yoke, said'means involving a pair of substantiallylshaped keys adapted to be dissociated .from said draft yoke by beinvmoved longitudinally with respect toV sai yoke.

3. ln a dra-ft rigging, the combination with a coupler having oppositelydisposed pivot lugs, of a draft yoke, and a plurality of key membersformln bearings for the said pivot lugs and a apted to transmit draftforces from said coupler to said yoke. 4. ln a draft rigging, thecombination with a coupler provided with ,oppositely disposed shoulderson its rear end,.0f a 'draft yoke, and a plurality of key membersoperatively connecting said coupler and yoke, said yoke being providedwith a plurality of' spaced members, and each of said key members beingadapted to engage a plurality o1e said the forward 'movement of saidkeys ywith respect to said yoke. f

5. ln a draft rigging, the combination with a'coupler, ofa draftyoke\having a hooded forward end, and a plurality of sul adyke to transrorces from the coupler-toysaid `yoke, the vertical height of the rearlend of the coupler being substantially equal to the distance betweenthe interior faces of said yoke arms, and at least one of said shoulderson the coupler being adapted to engage the adjacentV face of 'one of thearms of said yoke.

,7. ln a draft rigging, the combination with a coupler having oppositelydisposed undercut shoulders lat its rear end, of a spaced members tolimitto form a hood ,at the being relatively movable longitudinally inbuiiing, and a plurality of keys engaging the corresponding shoulders atthe rear end of the coupler to operatively connect said coupler anddraft yoke, said coupler being insertible longitudinally into the hoodedportion 0f said yoke7 and the vertical height of the rear end of thecoupler being substantially equal to the distance between the interiorfaces of said yoke arms.

In testimony Whereoi` I affix my signature.

ISAAC H. MILLKEN.

